The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-04-14
ON THE CONGO.
A Land Reported to be Flow
ing With Milk and Honey.
An Explorers Account of what He Saw
in the Interior Of Africa,

the Congo, some of them ten to twenty
miles long, are al rich il not richer than
the main land, says Lieut.. Taunt in his
report concerning his recent expedition
20 Africa. AS q rule, both mainl md
and islands arc covered with dense
forests, in which are to be found the
rubber, gum copal, p In and other
valuable trees. On the main a I'd are
occasional stretches of immense plateaus,
which tho elephant buffalo and other
game use for feeding grounds. The
islands above Bangala are covered with
thousands of tn, valuable oil p lin trees.
The Congo abounds in most excellent
food fish, which form staple article of
food on the upper river. TAo natives
seldom eat the fish when fresh, but
smoke or dry them. The man-eating
crocodile is met with throughout the
river, and in the region of the islands
and sandbanks the hippopotami are
found. have frequently met herds of
fifteen OF twenty of these beasts playing
in the river. If disturbed in their
breeding season they will attack passing
canoes and sometimes steamers. One of
the state launches has been badly in
iured by the tusks of a hippo.
Of the mineral wealth of the Congo
valley there can be no question. The
natives of all sections possess iron and
copper in large quantities. The knives
and spears are made of the iron and dec
grated with copper. Their brass orna-
mcnts are made from the matakos that
they purchase in trade from the whites.
l saw no gold or silver; the natives do
not place any value on these metals. 1t
has been reported that the Arabs have
found gold in small quantities in the in
terror, above Stanley Falls.
the natives of the lower Congo are
armed with flint-lock muskcts, but they
are almost harmless. They have no idea
OF Workmanship, and it is the excep-
tion when man is killed in their tribal
wars. In October, 1885, between
MBauza Mateke and VIvi, l was in
camp with nearly 600 of Makito's
people Zone of the most powerful chiefs
on the lower riveD; these people were re-
turning from the coast with rum, gin,
etc., but with my native caravan and
ono other white man, camped as peace
fully among these 600 natives as could
have done at Vivi. And again, one Of
the English mission is living alone at
Lutete, and has been so for months, the
nearest white man being fifty miles from
him. The agents of the state never
travel with guard in the lower country,
and the state limits its caravans to
enough people for the transportation of
their camp equipage only. AS far as l
could learn, there is no case on record
during the, last two years whore a white
mans caravan has been molested on the
lower river.
The Baskungas are supcrstitious to
the last degree; they rely for protection
on the fetch charms, and the medicine
men of the tribes have great influence.
On the death of any person of note in
the village the poison test is used.
The medicine man dcsignatcs the man
or woman suspected of causing the
death by charm of witchcraft. The
poison is administered, and if it acts
as an emetic that signifies innocence; if
on the contrary, it kills, the guilty one is
punished.
In some instances the laws of the
Baskungas are very stringent. Stealing
from each other is punished by death.
Fighting or disorder in the market
places is seriously punished, and if a
frearm is used the punishment is death.
The market place, which usually
covers some acres of ground, is used as
the place of execution, and it is not an
unusual sight to meet skeleton hang
ing aud bleaching in the sun on the out :
skirts of the market, or to find a broken
muskct driven into the ground, which
marks the spot where man has been
buried alive to his throat, his brains
dashed out, then covered and the
musket driven into his body. All this
to serve as a warning to others not to
use firearms in the market place.
The native food of the lower Congo
valley is principally peanuts and CHI
quango (made from the manioe root
On market days fowl, eggs, goat and
pork may be bought, and Gn small guam
tities) sweet potatoes, peas, beans, onions
and bananas.
As rule l did not find the lower
Congo people incorporate the native
drink is malalu or palm wine, which,
when fresh, is not at all intoxicating.
They are fond of rum and gin, and these
articles will go much further in trade
than either cloth or beads. The native
caravans demand rum or gin as a por-
tion of their pay.
The women are slaves, there being no
marriage laws.
Above Stanley Pool, and moro par-
ticularly above the mouth of the Kassai
river, the natives are an entirely different
race, both physically and Intellectually.
The greater part of these peop'c are
traders, and rich; they own many slaves
in fact, chief popu!a,es his villages
with slaves, the frcemen of the village
being the members of his own family. A
singular fact is that slaves can in turn